In many busy households, it seems like there is little time to talk about the future. After all, it’s hard enough to just get through the daily duties at hand. However, the holidays are approaching, and that usually means more time spent with family. This might be the perfect opportunity to create a family emergency plan.

Do you and your family members know what to do in the event of a disaster, such as an earthquake. Or, what you would do if a severe winter storm knocked out power? What if you had to quickly evacuate your home? How would you find each other if cell phones weren’t working? How would you find out if your kids are safe? Where would you meet if you were unable to get to your home?

These things sound scary, but by setting up a family plan, you can rest assured, knowing that you have a plan in place. Taking the time to discuss these things now, means you are taking preventative measures for the future.

Here are some of the things you may want to add to your family plan checklist:

Decide where will your family will reunite in case you are not together when a disaster happens.

Choose a person who lives in another state to contact if family members are separated, as long distance phone service will probably be restored sooner than local service.

Familiarize yourselves with the emergency plans of the school or daycare center your children attend so you can regroup from there.

Stock up on at least a three-day supply of food, water, medical supplies, and other necessary equipment for everyone in your family.

Make sure everyone in the family has this information, the phone numbers are in everyone’s cell phone, posted at home, and everyone know where the emergency supplies are located.

Family Plan Templates

Here are two Family Communication Plans from FEMA, which you can use over the holidays when the family is together: